New Contact Lens Technology
If you’re looking for new contact lens technology, look no further than the baby boomers. Not long ago, people who had worn contact lenses for years were going back to eyeglasses. Why? The answer in one word is presbyopia, the “my arms are too short” condition that plagues just about everyone over 40. Now, thanks to new contact lens technology, even the over-40 crowd can continue wearing contact lenses well into their golden years. What has changed? Manufacturers have developed new contact lens technology that can address presbyopia with special designs, called multifocals, that correct vision well at every distance, making up for the need to don “readers” or bifocals for close-up work.
How does this new contact lens technology work? Most soft multifocal contact lenses are “aspheric” designs, with different prescription powers blended across the lens. Some soft multifocals use concentric circles, called simultaneous vision, where the correction for distance or near is located in the center and the circles with intermediate and distance correction fan out from there. Lenses made from gas permeable materials, which are more rigid than soft lenses, may be aspheric or simultaneous, or they may have a segment for close-up vision in the lower quadrant of the lens while the top of the lens corrects for distance vision. This is called “alternating” or “translating” vision.
These designs make contact lenses an option for many people over 40. Not only that, new contact lens technology also addresses dryness, which increases with age and contributes to the discomfort that often causes people to stop wearing their contact lenses. Special materials are now available that help keep eyes moist and lenses comfortable. New contact lens designs and materials are helping baby boomers stay in their contact lenses and avoid the aging look of “granny” glasses.